While Ubuntu Linux continues to grow -- in both popularity and
new advancements for the Linux ecosystem -- and dance in the limelight, it isn't
the choice for everybody. For those that may still be searching for their right
Linux mate, Zenwalk 5.0 is a distribution worth trying out. Previously we have
referred to Zenwalk as an
unsung hero among Linux distributions and with the forthcoming 5.0 release
it asserts a very well rounded Xfce desktop.

The latest stable release of Zenwalk Linux is version
4.8 while being released this past Thursday is Zenwalk 5.0 Beta. With this
5.0 release, Zenwalk has turned to using the FreeDesktop.org HAL system, which
replaces Zenwalk's own hardware hot-plugging system. This release has been updated
against X.Org 7.3 packages
and the latest Linux
2.6.23 kernel. The default desktop environment, Xfce, has also been upgraded
to version
4.4.2.

Aside from the fundamental changes to Zenwalk 5.0, this release
features brand new artwork, which is a very nice improvement and we are very fond
of this look and feel. The Zenwalk 5.0 Beta ISO is less than 500MB in size, while
including a number of full-featured desktop applications. In place of OpenOffice.org,
AbiWord
and Gnumeric are employed for word processing and spreadsheet needs. IceWeasel
and IceDove are used in place of Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird, respectively.
For multimedia needs, Zenwalk ships with both G-MPlayer and Mplayer while also
included is streamtuner (a steam directory browser) and asunder (though not as
nice as GNOME's Sound Juicer) for ripping audio CDs.

Also fitting onto the 475MB distribution is GIMP
2.4.3, Pidgin 2.3.1, and other popular free software packages. For Zenwalk
mobile users, the Wicd WiFi browser replaces WiFi radar and this is the first
release to ship with Intel's non-free Wireless Firmware.

After using Zenwalk 5.0 Beta quite a bit since its release, we
haven't hit any show-stopping bugs and have found these improvements to be quite
modest. If you are new to Linux or just looking to try out a different distribution,
we feel that Zenwalk 5.0 is a great lightweight Linux desktop worth trying out.

Michael Larabel is the principal author of Phoronix.com and founded the site in 2004 with a focus on enriching the Linux hardware experience. Michael has written more than 10,000 articles covering the state of Linux hardware support, Linux performance, graphics drivers, and other topics. Michael is also the lead developer of the Phoronix Test Suite, Phoromatic, and OpenBenchmarking.org automated benchmarking software. He can be followed via Twitter or contacted via MichaelLarabel.com.

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